Nasty Surprise

The Sunday after Christmas followed the usual course of our Saint Sundays, with church services and then a crash (read and nap) in the afternoon, and a final church service in the evening.

Monday morning had a nasty surprise for Graeme, though. He discovered that his computer had picked up an aggressive virus. He worked non-stop on "killing" the virus and then reinstalling all his programs for the next 2 days. MOST frustrating. At least everything is up and running again.

This week has also been a bit different as far as shopping is concerned. The shops (all of them) were closed from Saturday 25th until Tues 28th. They opened for Wed morning, closed for Thurs, will be open for Friday morning, and then closed again until Tues 4th January. Even the hall outside the post office where the post boxes are housed was locked. I took a photo of the fire extinguisher outside the locked post box hall - somehow it seemed to echo the air of "deadness".

Although town was dead today, Arthur and I still had to work at the Consulate. I am catching up on a lot of bookkeeping backlog, while Arthur worked in the snack bar.

Christmas Day

There were 3 church services first thing in the morning - Sandy Bay, then Head O'Wain, then Jamestown. I got up around 6 am to prepare the little turkey that we would be taking to our friends later on, and put it in the oven while we went to church.
The church services ended soon after 11.00am. I dashed home to finish off the cooking, then we made our way to the Terry's home. We had a "bring and share" Christmas with 4 families - the Terrys, the Bloems, the Kilners and the Becketts. 10 week old, Kate Kilner was the centre of attention.
At about 6pm we dropped in on Nick Thorpe and Lolly for a quick "hi, and bye".
Home to sleep.

Christmas Eve

At about 5.30 pm, there was the usual Christmas parade down Market Street.


Graeme and I took the 2 dogs for a walk to join in the parade, and then came home again. I stayed at home because of my unco-operative leg, and to bake Christmas mince pies for the following day. Graeme went back again to play his trumpet with 2 separate musical groups - one at 7.30pm and the other at 8.30 pm in the centre of town. Arthur was roped into working the shift that no one else wants - 3pm to 11pm on Christmas Eve :(

Because we would have to leave home early the next morning for the 3 consecutive Christmas services, we decided to open our gifts round about midnight, when Arthur came home. Although we did not have the usual nice gifts for each other, we were blessed by unexpected gifts from friends - among them were 2 fruit cakes, frozen cuts of beef, home grown potatoes, gifts from our daughter (that she had posted to us in October), many post cards, Dutch stroopwafels, "smellies", etc.

Help

I am very happy that I have found a lady to help me do house work for 5 hours every Tuesday i.e. my day off from working at The Consulate. Deanna was working at the Consulate on a temporary basis only, and had to leave work there last week. The idea is that we attack the manse together on Tuesdays, and try and give it a good 'once over', that should last until the next week. So far, so good.

Children's Party & Last S/School

We took our 10 children to the Jamestown public swimming pool for their Christmas Party (in SA we have to call it an "end of year" party). Instead of giving each child a specific gift, I wrapped girls' gifts in one colour paper, and the boys in another. So they had a kind of "lucky dip". Some were pleased, and others not.

We ended our year's Sunday School lessons with a DVD on the life of Moses - "Prince of Egypt". We tried to notice how often the movie differed from the Bible. Afterwards there was the usual 'playing with the pets'.

St Helena takes Christmas traditions very seriously, and the exchange of Christmas cards is one of them. The problem is that it is difficult to find reasonable cards to buy. We decided to follow our predecessors' example, and had cards made from a photo that Graeme took of us in the back yard of the manse.


The other interesting thing about the whole 'card exchanging' tradition is that there is no real postal system between the local residents on the island. Everyone just carries their cards around with them, and hands them out when they bump into their friends. Graeme handed out most of our cards at church services, but then took off on his motor bike to deliver the last few to folk who live 'in the country'.

36 years of marriage

Our 2nd wedding anniversary on St Helena. It was also the date that our Bible sudy group planned to have their end of year social. True to Saint hospitality, there was a great spread.

Many of the church members remembered that it was also our anniversary, and we received all sorts of kindnesses. I had a hair cut from Deborah; Jean and Trevor delivered a cake and a bottle of sparkling grape juice; the Bible study group gave us a card and a beautiful glazed vase - all deep autumn colours.

I was in the middle of a crazy attempt to clean and tidy the manse in preparation for the evening social, when Jean phoned and asked me to bring some table cloths to the schoolroom. Only then was I told that they had agreed to have the social in the schoolroom in order to save me the bother of clearing up afterwards. So thoughtful. I happily abandoned the 'big clean', and enjoyed a bit of a read on the sofa.

When I think back over our years of marriage, there have been varied moments of great happiness as well as tensions and disagreements. The one constant, the glue, our chief joy, has always been our Saviour. He just becomes more precious as the years go by.

Christmas lights

More physio on Friday. I am trying to walk without my stick - it has caused my back muscles to weaken, as well as lean to one side. Although I now stand up straight, the pain in my legs (referred pain from pinched nerves in my spine) is bad. I am praying that, as I continue with the exercises that I have been given, things will improve. If I did not have asthma, I could have surgery to free the pinched nerves, but the operation needs deep anaesthesia, which my lungs would not cope with.

The Saints take Christmas seriously, and many homes are lit up with lights on the outside, and decorations inside. One carol service after the other is being held all over the island, but the actual church services are still poorly attended.

Good News Club

Anya was sick and Nick had to attend a funeral, so Enid and I held the fort at Good News Club. 4 children came for the "Christmas gift bag" making session. They seemed to enjoy it. We used brown paper carrier bags with handles, that one of our shops put their take-aways in, and decorated them with all sorts of things - ribbons, wool, star stickers, ear rings, silk flowers, old cards, etc. The children seemed to enjoy themselves.

While I was busy with the children, Jean and Trevor called and dropped off a beautiful bunch of flowers. A valued gift considering how few flowers are grown here. They have a lovely strong fragrance.

Physio

My legs and back have been giving me quite a bit of "gyp" lately. I finally got a doctor to agree to refer me to the physiotherapist, and I had my first session today. What a blessing! He is an Indian from India - Sunit Kumar - and is excellent at his job. He worked on my back for about 40 minutes (traction, aligning of my spine, ultra sound, kneading and massaging to break down knots) and when I got up to go, I found that for the first time in ages, I could balance squarely above my 2 legs. I stood up straight and there was no need for my walking stick! I am quite tender from the treatment, and will still need a few more sessions with him, BUT I am not off balance. I have also been given exercises to strengthen the right muscles. I am smiling.

Only one lady (Iva Henry) came to the 4.30 pm Jamestown BWA, so we went and visited a Sandy Bay lady (Pamela Henry) that is in hospital.

While I was cooking supper, Graeme was practising his trumpet in the schoolroom next door with a fellow trumpeter (Tom). They try and "stretch" each other to play better. It reminded me of when Graeme's brass band used to meet for practices in our garage in SA. A happy sound. Our dog, Cho, only "sings" when Graeme plays the music she knew in SA.

Arthur came home from his English class all full of bounce. He got an 'A' for his oral.

A good day has been had by all 3 Becketts.

91 years old!

Sandy Bay BWA at 10.00am. The sun was shining, so I took a few photos en route. I love the 3 types and colours of sand on this hill.
The internet is playing up, and I cannot download any other photos. Will try again later on.

After the meeting, I was given 2 extra donations totalling 39.50 pounds towards the restoration of our chapel. God is good.

It is Edie Isaacs' 91st birthday today. On my way home from the Sandy Bay BWA, I popped in to give her birthday cards, and wish her well. Since she moved to the CCC, she is looking much better. Someone cut her hair, and even painted her nails!

Consulate Hotel

Today, Hazel Wilmot sent letters to the Island's councillors advising that she was closing the accommodation side of the hotel from the end of Feb 2011. The hotel is dependent on tourists, and the RMS changed its schedule last year so that there was very little tourist time on the island. (The RMS ship is our only means of contact with the outside world). Hazel has been carrying the hotel financially out of her own savings for the past year and a bit, and can no longer continue to do so. It caused quite a stir in the community, as The Consulate is the only proper hotel on the island. It will be bad for any future tourism.

The snack bar and ordinary bar will remain open, and she will try and arrange other activities to be held in the courtyard. She is trying to keep on as many staff as possible, but nothing is quite certain at the moment.

Acceptance

I knew for certain that Missy has been accepted into the pet family at the manse when I saw Abi trying to get her to join in a game of tug-o-war with "the rope". Unfortunately, her timing was a bit out, as Missy was "otherwise occupied" at the time.

Anniversary

Today is the first anniversary of our arrival on St Helena. No drum rolls or thunder and lightning, but we have many, many things to thank the Lord for during this time.

One year ago, it was just Graeme and I living at the manse. Then in Feb, Clawd was deposited in our back yard. At the end of May our "girls" (Cho and Abi) came home. Arthur arrived at the end of June. And now we have Missy. A full house (or is it a mad manse?...)

All 3 human Becketts now receive some sort of payment for their services. Paying work of any kind, anywhere, is a gift from God - but work for a non Saint on St Helena is REALLY a gift from God.

Arthur seems to be progressing well with his studies for his 'O' levels. He meets every week with a few young adults; has spoken a few times on the radio; takes 2 Bible studies a week; preaches once a month; and works about 6 hours a day at The Consulate.

Besides the church work, Graeme and I have made a few good friends - both in the church and outside of it. Graeme often gets asked to play his trumpet, and I just play with the children.

We are getting the hang of shopping (a skill not easily learnt on St Helena) and I am now accustomed to improvising in the kitchen. Gone are the days when I could go out and buy all the ingredients needed for a recipe.

No rain or thunder or lightning - only mist and drizzle. Hardly any gogo's (creepy crawlies). No TV or cell phones or traffic lights or airoplanes or street children or murders or muggings or shopping malls or Sunday shopping or mosques or ATM's or credit cards or wide open spaces or beaches or, or, or. A VERY different place.

Tomato plants

The soil in Jamestown is very poor. Even the weeds are dying in the little garden at the back of the manse. So, when I was given 2 young tomato plants, I planted them in buckets that I filled with good soil and compost. I was very pleased to see tiny little tomatoes forming on one of the plants. Perhaps we can get a "container garden" going.

Coffee Morning

The 2nd BWA coffee morning. Although fewer ladies attended, we still managed to raise 481 pounds towards the restoration of our chapel. Once again, the ladies were wonderful in the way that they all worked together to make everything happen. In total, over 1,000 pounds has been raised by the 2 coffee mornings. Although it has been a good effort, we still need to raise a further 19,000 pounds. A long way still to go. Our next planned money raising venture is an Easter Fair, with stands and games etc, and will include the efforts of the menfolk in the church.

After the eating and drinking was finished, I gave my testimony and we then had a sing-along.

In the evening, Graeme played his trumpet at a street party where money was collected towards assisting the families of patients who need to go to SA for medical treatment. It is amazing how many collections are made on the Island towards some charity or the other - and the people always give generously.

Coffee Morning

Preparations for our 2nd coffee morning are now in full swing. I could not get hold of the place where we borrowed tables from last time, but Hazel Wilmot kindly agreed to lend us 10 tables with their table cloths. A bunch of ladies all pooled their energies and ideas, and we hope that things will go smoothly - even though there are 2 other "events" being held on the same day.

I seriously started doubting my sanity today, as I looked at our "family" of pets. Why could I not have ignored the little kitten that was rejected by all the other cats? Why do I have a "bleeding heart"? BUT they are all getting on well - Abi even tried to join in when Claud and Missy were playing 'hide and seek' around the furniture in the lounge. They like sleeping together, and being in the same room with the humans. AND we regularly have children asking to come and visit our pets.

Post

We were delighted to receive a parcel from our 2 children in Europe. Lots of lovely goodies as well as parcels wrapped in Christmas paper, that are to be saved for Christmas day.
It was the usual busy Tuesday - a quick bit of house cleaning in the early morning; 9am - leave for the Sandy Bay BWA at 10.00am; back to the Consulate at 12.00 noon; the Cape Villa Bible study at 5.00pm; followed by the Jamestown Bible study at 7.30pm.

Sucker

My "Sucker" button (as well as Graeme's) was properly pressed - I brought Missy home. The dogs were quite unperturbed by her, and she just wanted them to be her friend. She kept purring and rubbing herself up against Abi. Abi just gave her "the stare" and walked away. Clawd was a little put out by the usurper of his position as "the cat", but I am sure he will come around.

The Half Tree Hollow Bible study was cancelled once again. Arthur is considering changing it to a once a month evangelistic outreach meeting. Saints appear to prefer "events" to regular meetings. We can only try, and trust the Lord to lead us.

Out of alignment

My left knee and hip have been troubling me quite a bit, so I tried to make an appointment with the physio, but was told that I need to be referred by a doctor. I saw Dr Bloem, who seemed to think that I did not need physio, but should rather wear my boots for a few days and see whether my leg/knee/foot would not align properly again. (They were pulled out of alignment, and badly broken 10 years ago in a motor car accident) So-o-o back into my ugly boots I went. I could immediately feel the pull on my knee, and inner thigh. The pain was quite bad on the first day, but has gradually lessened. I am happy to say that I dress funny, but walk better and with less pain. Luckily, the island is not known for its fashion consciousness, so no one even seems to notice that I am wearing hiking boots and a skirt....

Consulate Kitten

Hazel Wilmot has a number of cats that she cares for in the back of the hotel - 2 litters that she has taken in and had spayed and neutered and innoculated. Word obviously got out. This morning she found a new little ginger cat that had been left on the hotel steps. It is sick, but so-o-o cute. I felt my "you are a sucker" button being pushed. The kitten was taken to the vet, and given an antibiotic injection, vitamin injection, and front line.

Although Hazel W is a hard worker, and expects her staff to earn their wages, she also has a very generous spirit. We are slowly becoming friends.

I went to lace class in the evening, Arthur waited on tables (the consulate hosted a party of 30 people and needed extra help) and Graeme took the Bible studies in Sandy Bay and Blue Hill

CAN France

On the way to work this morning, I got a few pics of the helicopter and CAN France men at work again. First they drilled holes in the hills on either side of Jamestown, then they filled them with cement, which was delivered by the helicopter, hanging from the end of a rope. Now the helicopter started delivering poles with netting wound up around them, and the men are fixing these into the cement filled holes. Next they will unravel the netting that is attached to the poles, and hopefully we will have a little protection from rocks that come lose and tumble down the mountain and knock holes into chapels and manses.

The hills are now dotted with the poles that have been dropped by the 'copter. See Jacobs Ladder in the right top corner of the photo and little grey "sticks" in the foreground - these are the poles.

I did not feel up to going to Deadwood in the evening. Then Prudie (from Jamestown) phoned and asked to come with me. I had to buckle up, and put a smile on my dial, and go. In the end, we had a very good time of looking at the Scriptures, and praying and sharing.

Remembrance Sunday

Graeme attended the Remembrance Sunday service at the square in Jamestown (of course he blew his trumpet) while I went to Sandy Bay and Head O'Wain with Arthur. He preached on the 4th chpt of Amos. I enjoy his style of preaching.
After the morning services, instead of doing some much needed house work, I spent the afternoon sleeping on the couch in the lounge with Clawd on my chest. I awoke refreshed and ready for the evening service.

Graeme has started a Men's Breakfast once a month - they meet at 8.00am in the school room, and appear to have a good time of eating, chatting and praying, without the restraining presence of the womenfolk.

We planned a picnic at Rosemary Plain for the Good News children today. 3 enthusiasts turned up. They asked to take the pugs with us. Although we were only a few, we had a good time. First, Nick took the children for a walk, then the children took the dogs for a walk, then we got to chatting a bit about the children's interests and what they do outside of school time. Last of all, we collected pine cones that we hope to spray with silver paint (i.e. if we can find any in the shops)

A view of the sea from Rosemary Plain

In the afternoon, Arthur and I went to visit the Williams while Graeme worked in his study. Arthur met with the 2 teenagers for a Bible study, while I visited with Tammy and Gavin. It is good to talk to people who love the Lord, and are not hesitant to share their opinions and concerns.

Hi from Hazel

It has been a VERY long time since I last put anything on my blog. Apologies. The main problem has been the constant exceding of our internet allowance. I got fed up and went to ask for advice from Cable & Wireless on Thursday, and they seemed to think that it was very possible that I had picked up a virus which was sucking up megabytes. It appears that they were right. Graeme spent most of yesterday installing Avast on my computer, and then scanning my files. Hopefully there will be more regular updates from now on - and less internet unhappiness in our home....

I will try and catch up with island news from when I last "blogged" - 20th October. Shame on me!

The Baptist women are gearing up for the next coffee morning - Sat 27th. Brenda Thomas and Maureen Terry have made very nice Christmas table decorations by spray painting pine cones and things. The Sandy Bay ladies gave up on the idea of transforming old men's shorts into hand bags after the needles started breaking on their sewing machines as they tried to sew through the thick layers of fabric. They told me not to worry - they have other things to sell.
There is a lot of phoning and organising to be done in the next few days.

Whirley Bird

I woke up this morning to a familiar sound - a helicopter. At least it was familiar in SA. We used to live near a highway, and the helicopters did highway patrolling as well as searching for escaped prisoners - we also lived a few Km away from the prison....

On St Helena Island, however, this is a huge novelty. The helicopter is being used by CAN France to drop off buckets of cement and poles etc where the men are working to put up safety nets that will hopefully hold back any future rock falls.

Frustration

I am starting to feel comfortable in my new job - comfortable around the staff that I work with, as well as with the actual work.
The frustration is that I have so little time to do the other things that need my attention - keeping the manse clean and tidy; washing and ironing; preparing for the Bible studies that I lead; admin and craft work for the BWA's, etc. And to make matters worse, there are some days that my legs work reasonably well, and I can get things done; then others, when for no reason that I know of, they simply will not follow the instructions that my brain sends them...
Graeme has been wonderful in that he has taken on the responsibility of washing the dishes and tidying the kitchen, so I usually come home to a tidy kitchen. Then, within minutes, I manage to mess it up again - much to Graeme's chagrin.

Wrong Rule Soccer

4 children showed up at Good News Club. The main attraction was the planned activity after the lesson i.e. “wrong rule” soccer in the Pilling School grounds across the road. I proudly brought out orange and apple quarters to eat after the game, thinking that they were a treat – only to be told that none of them eat fruit! Not to worry - us adults tucked in to them.
"Wrong rule soccer"?? One messes with the normal rules of the game, and makes up similar, but wrong rules. The lesson is a good one (I think) i.e. Instead of following God's rules for salvation and godly living as found in the Bible, we make up our own, and think that we can still call the game "soccer".

Any Celebration will do

Sun 31st Oct and Fri 5th Nov
The Saints love “celebrations” of any sort. We had children “trick or treat”ing before church on Sunday evening, and calling out “penny for a guy” early on Friday morning.

Carnival Day

Carnival day – in aid of cancer patients. The parade starts at the top of Market Street, and takes about an hour to get to the bottom – a distance that normally takes about 10 minutes of brisk walking. The crowd danced as they walked; then they stopped and chatted and danced some more, etc. until they reached the wharf. A section was cordoned off, and various tables were set up selling fast food and a few other odds and ends. They raised about 3,000 pounds.

Vontray (a boy who attends Good News Club) dressed as a slave ladyJohn Mbungwa (Kenyan) dressed as a "wannabee" ScotTwo awe struck visitors to the IslandThe Consulate gives a good vantage point for watching the parade go by.Somebody has had enough noiseThe parade procedes through The Arch on its way to the wharf

Cat's Chill Pad

I came home from work to find that Graeme had built a special ladder for Clawd so that he could climb up on to his "chill pad" under the awning behind the kitchen door. It reminds me of an exercise pad that one would build for pet mice - only MUCH bigger.

Clawd will climb up the ladder near the kitchen window, then walk across the beam towards the planks under the roof. He loves sitting on these planks and swiping at my hands as I try and hang up washing.

Arthur received a call asking him to come in and help at the Consulate again. He has to dress formally in black pants and a white shirt to serve breakfasts to the hotel guests. Then he changes into casual shorts and shirt and does sweaty gardening. When this is finished for the day, he sands down wrought iron chairs, then paints them with hammerite (a special paint that prevents rust on iron). Even between ships, when there are hardly any guests, he will still have work for a while – there are about 30 chairs to sand and paint.

Arthur preached on Rev chpt 5. I wonderful reminder that, at the end of this world, there will be a gathering where ALL of creation – the church, the angels, creatures on the earth, under it, in the sea – EVERYTHING will be worshipping our Saviour and King.

We were very encouraged when 4 children turned up at Good News Club. After the children’s meeting, we teachers chatted about how we could improve on the program that we are presently providing, and make the Saturday mornings more interesting for children. We decided to work out an “activity program” for each week, and put up a chart listing each week’s activity in the hope that it will arouse anticipation/interest.
After Good News, I went shopping and found that a few extra toys and gifts were out on the shelves in anticipation of Christmas. I bought 9 reasonably priced children’s gifts for the end of the year party, as well as a game called “Twister”.

I enjoy the bus ride to and from the Prince Andrew school on Thursdays – I go to lace class, and Arthur goes to English class. It reminds me of the times when we used to travel together on buses in S Africa. With my teacher’s approval, I gave up on the more advanced lace pattern that I had started about a month ago. I was spending more time unravelling the 52 bobbins that kept getting twisted around each other, than actually getting on with the pattern. I also did a lot of unpicking and redoing, and was just getting frustrated. We agreed that I should go back to doing simple book markers with fewer bobbins until I am more proficient.

Mail arrived on the RMS via Ascension, and we received 2 lovely parcels from the USA – crafting materials, Bible covers, children’s books and DVD’s and a model of the Old Testament tabernacle. I am looking forward to teaching the book of Hebrews together with the tabernacle in Sunday School. The Bible covers will be used as prizes for children that read their Bibles during the week. They have to come to me on Sunday, and give me a short summary of the chapters they have read at home during the week. The winners will receive a brand new Bible in a cover.

I spent the morning cleaning the manse’s downstairs floors in the morning. It was the first Tues morning that I did not go to Sandy Bay - we agreed to change the meetings to fortnightly ones. The afternoon was spent working at the Consulate, and the evening was taken up by the Cape Villa and then the Jamestown Bible studies.

The Consulate

Hazel W (my boss) needed to use the computer at my work station, so I wandered around the Consulate for about 30mins taking photos.

The main staircase leading to the bedrooms.

The courtyard

the garden at the back where people tend to go for private meetings or lunches

the frangie pangie tree is budding again after the winter months

a banana tree’s flower

There was a good turnout at Sunday School. I asked Sunna (a previous “regular”) why she and a few others no longer came to Good News club. I was told that they had other activities on a Saturday, and they preferred coming on a Sunday. Perhaps we should rethink our approach to the children.

Only 2 children turned up for Good News club – Juliana and Kieran. I continued with the story of David, and afterwards the 2 of them played “skittles” with some empty milo and hot choc containers. They then decided to play a little table tennis. However, Clawd was determined to join in on the game, and it ended up being a table tennis version of “piggy in the middle”.
In the evening, Graeme and I went to the Consulate where Peter Mott makes crepes in the courtyard. You watch him make them, and then choose your filling from the syrups etc that are available. We each had a plain maple syrup one, followed by an apple and cinnamon one. Most yummy – and filling to boot. Home to finish off our preparation for the Sunday meetings.